Straddling both sides of the Nam Ou River, the town has sprung up along the water’s edge, elegantly framed by immense, towering limestone mountains. The setting is picture perfect, every moment of it from first light to twilight. Nong Khiaw (also written and Nong Kiau) is located in Luang Prabang Province, a four hour local bus ride or just three hours by private vehicle from Luang Prabang town, making it an attractive two to three day side trip to tack on. As Luang Prabang has grown in popularity, so too has Nong Kiaow and in the last decade it had a boom town feel, with new accommodation springing up like mushrooms. Recently though, growth has simmered down and the sound of the saws and hammers you’ll hear are usually existing guesthouses adding rooms and squeezing more bungalows onto their plot.